Sit back for a second and imagine what it would have been like if Rajon Rondo and Kobe Bryant ever played together. They would’ve been a fantastic duo to watch for several reasons, but especially because they are so similar in personality, Rajon Rondo once described a meeting with Bryant as “just two assholes having breakfast.” Opposing players fear not only their play, but their combative natures, and watching Kobe and Rondo wreak havoc on the other 29 backcourts in the NBA would have certainly been a treat.
As further proof of the fascinating dynamic between these two former NBA Champions, Rajon Rondo was recently asked about his favorite memory of Kobe Bryant, as the Kings traveled to face off against Kobe’s Lakers for the final time in Los Angeles at the Staples Center. If you were expecting Rondo to say something to the effect of ‘our time as teammates on Team USA,’ you guessed wrong. Rondo’s favorite memory of the Black Mamba is when they nearly put paws on each other during a regular season Celtics vs Lakers match-up in 2009. Specifically, after Rondo shoved Kobe away from a Celtic teammate, Kobe very sternly pointed his finger in Rondo’s face, appearing to warn him as if he were an unruly child. 7 years later, the Kings point guard remembers how that pissed him off.
.@RajonRondo’s memory of @kobebryant? When Kobe pointed at him. “He pissed me off a little bit when he did that.” pic.twitter.com/BB48SULKXP
— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) March 16, 2016
Here’s a YouTube clip of the full incident.
